Eat well for less - series 4

Pollycat

Grumpygit wrote: »

I've often wondered about all the swaps - in the last series they used to show more but only seem to show a few now.

And I did notice about the range of shops that the swaps have come from and the hassle and money/time spent going from shop to shop to get one or two items.

Also, what happens to all of the food they already have? Are they encouraged to use it all up before they go for the cheaper options?

On the last show, the cupboards were stacked full of nibbles, crisps and sugary items which she didn't now want her girls to eat because of the content....totally understandable but what happens to it all?

I also don't think having a stock pile of certain items is a bad thing but obviously it's more about knowing what you have before you buy more of the cheaper options.

I've started to try to eat more healthily in conjunction with trying to reduce my alcohol units (which is going well so far).

Don't get me wrong, I do most of my cooking from scratch and eat a fair amount of vegetables (but not enough fruit ).
I do like a bag of crisps occasionally when I have a sandwich for lunch.
And the odd biscuit - and I do mean the odd biscuit, one satisfies me.

So I have 3 packs of different biscuits in the cupboard and a range of crisps, including 3 stacks of Pringles.
I'm going to use them up gradually, starting with the Pringles and have maybe half a dozen at a time until they're gone (or gone off!) and then not buy any more. I'll make a bag of crisps (multi pack so 25gm per bag) last 2 days.

I hate food waste.

[Deleted User]

JackieO wrote: »

I have an abiding hatred of anything wrapped in plastic an will rather not buy it if I can I know its used for 'convenience' sake but I don't need more plastic in my life Last week I was at a charity quiz night at a local healthy sports centre.I went o buy a coffee and they had cups and saucers there and also thos long glasses that you have coffee in When I asked for a coffee the young mand went to get a cardboard cup to pour it into When I said no I want it in a proper cup please he said No its easier to use cardboard .Well it may have been easier but as the bar in the hall was also selling beer in proper glass tumblers and obviously would have to use a dishwasher to wash them up I couldn't see why i had to drink coffee from a bit of cardboard which has a plastic liner and told him so.I said politely as I could 'no thank you I would rather do without as there is far too much garbage that is unnecessary already in the world' he jus grunted rather rudely and I did without at £3.00 a cup he had lost potentially two sales.I think if I can be bothered to take my own bags when I go shopping then why shouldn't I have a cuppa in a proper cup.I could understand if it was perhaps a take away one (heaven forfend I cannot understand why folk have such 'busy' lives that they can't take five minuted to sit down to drink a cuppa) but I suppose its a generational thing. Folk walking along with a cup of scalding coffee in their hands slurping it as they go for some reason reminds me of when you would see babies with bottle stuck in their hands walking along next to their mums .I am probably old -fashioned in that to me if I am eating or drinking I believe I should be sitting down to do so :):).

Fruit and veg in supermarkets wrapped in plastic are my bugbear and as supermarkets insist they are 'saving ' the planet buy discarding the use of plastic carriers it would be nice to see less of the unnecessary plastic wrapping around their fruit and veg as well.Bananas come with their own skin as do most stuff and cucumber shrink wrapped are revolting especially as they seem to get very soggy very quickly Rant over chums, I shall return to being a sweet and light old lady once more :):)

But I agree a lot of supermarket shopping isn't for the benefit of the customer its for the benefit of the large supermarket. The basic food commodities that we want to buy is all wrapped up in silly packaging. I don't need a packet of pasta/ric inside a box I just need an ordinary packet of pasta /rice etc. We buy sugar in a paper bag why not pasta/rice /couscous etc and far too much is highly flavoured I prefer to add my own flavours thank you

JackieO xx

I agree on the coffee front! It isn't generational I'm 32 and hate plastic covered disposable coffee cups! I either sit in and drink from a proper up or I have a reusable coffee cup with a lid I take to the coffee shops for them to fill for me.
I emailed Tesco once about their plastic wrapping, their response was that it makes stuff last longer so helps the planet by reducing food waste! :mad: It's guff if you ask me, my fruit and veg from by veg box do not come shrink wrapped, and it lasts longer than the garbage the supermarkets sell!

As for the prepackaged food that these families no longer want to eat due to sugar content, I hope they give them to the homeless shelters or food banks!

kathrynha

joedenise wrote: »

That ratatouille lasagne looked really good and will add that onto my reportoire! Even DH said it looked good which is saying something because whenever I make anything veggie he always asks where the meat is or something like "are we having that with lamb chops/steak/pork steaks - take your pick!

Glad to hear the recipe is on the website - not all the recipes seem to be.

Denise

I have a husband that always wants meat too. I was thinking I could do that recipe with just a bit of meat, and still be saving money because of the reduce quantity needed.


I noticed in Asda the other day that there is a recipe book out for the series which is probably why not all the recipes are on the website.

JIL wrote: »

The substitutions that they say they will keep are all from different supermarkets, there's Asda, lidl, waitrose, Tesco, Morrisons, aldi as well as stuff from the local butchers.
How are they going to swap, if they now have to go round all these different places?

Even if all the supermarkets are handy, most of us are time poor these days.
One would hope however that it would encourage them to be willing to try other products too.
And if the favourites are all from different shops, and not fresh products they could rotate round the supermarkets.
I mainly Aldi shop, but when I Morrisons or Asda shop there are certain items I stock up on in each shop.

Grumpygit wrote: »

Also, what happens to all of the food they already have? Are they encouraged to use it all up before they go for the cheaper options?

On the last show, the cupboards were stacked full of nibbles, crisps and sugary items which she didn't now want her girls to eat because of the content....totally understandable but what happens to it all?

I also don't think having a stock pile of certain items is a bad thing but obviously it's more about knowing what you have before you buy more of the cheaper options.

One would assume it gets used up over time, and I think there is a lot of editing to make the show. It would make no sense to let them buy a trolley full of short shelf life products then not let them use it

nursemaggie

I thought what is the point with buying substitutes from so many supermarkets but it is just meant to show you how much you save with own brands. They probably do it so that everyone will see at least one from our nearest supermarket every week.

JackieO I do so agree about all the packaging. I am sure I could cut my rubbish to hardly anything if I could cut the packaging. I use my shopping trolley for most shopping and the most annoying thing is all the air I have to put in it and then have to carry two bags because each package is 2/3 air.

I think the program would be very boring if they just taught them to meal plan and substitute own brands for everything. Not that you can substitute nearly everything unless you use the discounters as the other supermarkets do not do their own range in everything just the most popular items.

They just can't show you products for you to recognise the brands or use the discounters for everything it would be against the BBC Charter. don't we really enjoy it because we all know better and can be smug.

As for spending £14,000 a year on food, well my entire income is only 45% of that so no way could I spend that much. I honestly don't think any of these big spenders eat as well as we do even after they have reduced their bills.

MandM90

JackieO wrote: »

I have an abiding hatred of anything wrapped in plastic an will rather not buy it if I can I know its used for 'convenience' sake but I don't need more plastic in my life Last week I was at a charity quiz night at a local healthy sports centre.I went o buy a coffee and they had cups and saucers there and also thos long glasses that you have coffee in When I asked for a coffee the young mand went to get a cardboard cup to pour it into When I said no I want it in a proper cup please he said No its easier to use cardboard .Well it may have been easier but as the bar in the hall was also selling beer in proper glass tumblers and obviously would have to use a dishwasher to wash them up I couldn't see why i had to drink coffee from a bit of cardboard which has a plastic liner and told him so.I said politely as I could 'no thank you I would rather do without as there is far too much garbage that is unnecessary already in the world' he jus grunted rather rudely and I did without at £3.00 a cup he had lost potentially two sales.I think if I can be bothered to take my own bags when I go shopping then why shouldn't I have a cuppa in a proper cup.I could understand if it was perhaps a take away one (heaven forfend I cannot understand why folk have such 'busy' lives that they can't take five minuted to sit down to drink a cuppa) but I suppose its a generational thing. Folk walking along with a cup of scalding coffee in their hands slurping it as they go for some reason reminds me of when you would see babies with bottle stuck in their hands walking along next to their mums .I am probably old -fashioned in that to me if I am eating or drinking I believe I should be sitting down to do so :):).

Fruit and veg in supermarkets wrapped in plastic are my bugbear and as supermarkets insist they are 'saving ' the planet buy discarding the use of plastic carriers it would be nice to see less of the unnecessary plastic wrapping around their fruit and veg as well.Bananas come with their own skin as do most stuff and cucumber shrink wrapped are revolting especially as they seem to get very soggy very quickly Rant over chums, I shall return to being a sweet and light old lady once more :):)

But I agree a lot of supermarket shopping isn't for the benefit of the customer its for the benefit of the large supermarket. The basic food commodities that we want to buy is all wrapped up in silly packaging. I don't need a packet of pasta/ric inside a box I just need an ordinary packet of pasta /rice etc. We buy sugar in a paper bag why not pasta/rice /couscous etc and far too much is highly flavoured I prefer to add my own flavours thank you

JackieO xx

If it is generational I'm of the wrong generation! I'm 26 and I only really drink tea/coffee at work (it's free!) and if I fancy one at the weekend I'll have it at home or take a thermos. We also avoid plastic - loose veg is so much less wasteful, too, as you can choose how much you need. We don't even take the clear bags for bagging it up and instead just pack it carefully into my handmade cloth bags at the check out. Every week I count out exactly twelve bananas as we have smoothies 6 days a week and on sunday we will have mushrooms on toast. It's so nice to end each week with an empty fridge - I know I haven't wasted any money, and it's very easy to give it a quick wipe down

Pollycat

I thought I'd tag this on the end of this thread instead of starting a new one:

I've just caught a bit of 'Eat Shop Save' on ITV presented by Ranvir Singh.

Is this just a rip-off, rehash of 'Eat Well for Less'?

Apologies if this programme is being discussed on another thread, I haven't noticed one.

kboss2010

Doom_and_Gloom wrote: »

Gah, watching the first episode.

Not just they spend so much, seriously £160+/week for a family of 4 average, eight odd grand a year!

The thing that caught my eye as someone who works on checkouts is when people open foods before they've bought it. It's horrible. Wait a few minutes for goodness sake. The amount of times the customer doesn't tell me something is open and it goes everywhere when I scan it as I've had to tilt etc the product, or have put my fingers into the pack is stupid. Then the customer has the nerve to complain! Before paying it essentially stealing. If you are paying by card it could be declined/the service go down etc and if you have no cash you have consumed something without giving payment; stealing. Even if cash I've had people not have enough money for everthing, put backs are common, and that item you've just snacked into could have been the amount you went over by and now something essential has to be left behind. Yes I've seen this. Instant gratification bites people in the but.

When my OH is really hungry he'll pick up a sandwich or something, pay for it, eat it and then shop! We would never eat something before payment.

This is an absolute pet hate of mine! Especially people with kids giving them a packet of crisps or biscuits from a packet in the trolley to munch on as they shop - talk abt teaching your kids bad habits!

As for spending £14k a year on food shopping - what planet do these people live on that this amount on food doesn't significantly impact their household finances? It's like Grand Designs, I often wonder what these folk do for a living that they don't care about £1,000s literally going into a bin!

kboss2010

JackieO wrote: »

I have an abiding hatred of anything wrapped in plastic an will rather not buy it if I can I know its used for 'convenience' sake but I don't need more plastic in my life Last week I was at a charity quiz night at a local healthy sports centre.I went o buy a coffee and they had cups and saucers there and also thos long glasses that you have coffee in When I asked for a coffee the young mand went to get a cardboard cup to pour it into When I said no I want it in a proper cup please he said No its easier to use cardboard .Well it may have been easier but as the bar in the hall was also selling beer in proper glass tumblers and obviously would have to use a dishwasher to wash them up I couldn't see why i had to drink coffee from a bit of cardboard which has a plastic liner and told him so.I said politely as I could 'no thank you I would rather do without as there is far too much garbage that is unnecessary already in the world' he jus grunted rather rudely and I did without at £3.00 a cup he had lost potentially two sales.I think if I can be bothered to take my own bags when I go shopping then why shouldn't I have a cuppa in a proper cup.I could understand if it was perhaps a take away one (heaven forfend I cannot understand why folk have such 'busy' lives that they can't take five minuted to sit down to drink a cuppa) but I suppose its a generational thing. Folk walking along with a cup of scalding coffee in their hands slurping it as they go for some reason reminds me of when you would see babies with bottle stuck in their hands walking along next to their mums .I am probably old -fashioned in that to me if I am eating or drinking I believe I should be sitting down to do so :):).

Fruit and veg in supermarkets wrapped in plastic are my bugbear and as supermarkets insist they are 'saving ' the planet buy discarding the use of plastic carriers it would be nice to see less of the unnecessary plastic wrapping around their fruit and veg as well.Bananas come with their own skin as do most stuff and cucumber shrink wrapped are revolting especially as they seem to get very soggy very quickly Rant over chums, I shall return to being a sweet and light old lady once more :):)

But I agree a lot of supermarket shopping isn't for the benefit of the customer its for the benefit of the large supermarket. The basic food commodities that we want to buy is all wrapped up in silly packaging. I don't need a packet of pasta/ric inside a box I just need an ordinary packet of pasta /rice etc. We buy sugar in a paper bag why not pasta/rice /couscous etc and far too much is highly flavoured I prefer to add my own flavours thank you

JackieO xx

It's so frustrating when you go to places like Starbucks & they ask you whether you're sitting in and then give you a cardboard cup! The Princes St Starbucks in Edinburgh is really bad for this, I want a mug if I sit in, not a wasteful thing that goes in the bin! It's so the staff don't have to clean/collect cups but I feel it's an issue Starbucks needs to address.

purpleybat

hate to say it but i'm a store scoffer. I will check I have enough money for said item and always pay for it. tho while in lidles today there was a guy scoffing his pick your own nuts in the queue and then left the uneaten ones tucked in the corner of the trolley so as not to pay for them, I said 'don't forget you nuts.... oh but you've eaten half of them' .the cashier charged him twice for what was left the dirty look I was given made me laugh really hard.

Pollycat

purpleybat wrote: »

hate to say it but i'm a store scoffer. I will check I have enough money for said item and always pay for it.

I can't understand this.

I go to the supermarket & shop.
I don't want to waste time opening packets & eating from them whilst I'm packing my trolley

Maybe it's because I don't snack between meals so aren't hungry when I'm shopping.